Age, hobbies and experiences may separate them, but the adults and kids at this elementary school found a common interest to bring them together – Dr. Seuss.

Sharing a love for characters like Cindy Lou Who, who was no more than two, and Sam-I-Am with his green eggs and ham, Washington Elementary School guest readers and students paid homage to the widely-known children’s author on Feb. 25.

“Dr. Seuss’ themes are so deep and they transcend the ages,” said Principal Erin Villaverde, the school’s very own “Cat in the Hat.” “Even (ages) 5 or 15, you can really appreciate it.”

To celebrate the author’s March 2 birthday, the first-year principal dressed like the cat character and read to students in several of the 17 classes.

Community members were also invited to spend the morning with the school’s 470 students to read their favorite Dr. Seuss books, as well as other beloved stories.

“It’s nice for people to take an hour or two of their work day and make it about our kids,” Villaverde said. “They love it when people come in and read to them.”

In Mrs. Graves’ fourth-grade class, the students were delighted with two readers – including Willow Elementary School Principal Brian Shaw.

He read the environmentally conscious book by Dr. Seuss, “The Lorax.”

“He has a message and that’s what I want you to think about,” Shaw told the class

The book chronicles the destruction of a forest by a greedy individual, despite the plea of the Lorax who speaks on behalf of the trees.

“(The story) tells you to help the environment and not pollute,” student Summer Garcia of Ontario said. “I think it’s very important not to pollute because it can endanger animals, hurt the environment and us.”

The 9-year-old enjoyed the day dedicated to Dr. Seuss because he is her favorite author.

“I just like the way he rhymes, his pictures and the meaning of his stories,” she said.

On the other side of campus, retired teacher Mary-Alice Thompson of Glendora read to Mrs. Lamb’s kindergarten class.

The 66-year-old volunteer read “Morris the Moose,” a comical story about a moose who thinks other animals he encounters are also moose.

At the story’s end, the kids chanted for an encore, at which Thompson happily obliged. She read another story and finished just in time for recess.

As the youngsters piled out to leave, several students stood in line to thank the reader and give her a hug.

“I loved that so much. Like they say, it’s `priceless,”‘ Thompson said.

Among the eager listeners, student Lillian Stout enjoyed Morris’ story the most.

Her favorite moment was when the moose and the other animals saw their reflection.

“I liked that part because they noticed they weren’t the same. The moose thought the cat was a moose before he saw the reflection,” the 5-year-old said.

For the reading event, Washington received 27 volunteers from the Glendora community – including Glendora City Council, Charter Oak Unified School District, residents, businesses and, even, a middle school student from West Covina.

“We invited pretty much the entire community,” Villaverde said.

The Dr. Seuss day was a kick off to the national “Read Across America” event, which the school will participate in next week.